Daijiworld Media Network - Jammu
Jammu, Jun 16: A Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and three soldiers were injured in an accidental landmine explosion during an Army patrol operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Tuesday, officials said.
The incident occurred in the forward Kalal area of the Nowshera sector when a landmine was accidentally triggered during an area domination patrol.
Officials said all four injured personnel were immediately evacuated to a nearby hospital for treatment.
“A JCO and three soldiers sustained injuries in the blast and were promptly shifted to a medical facility,” an official said.
Security officials noted that such incidents are often linked to “drift mines” — landmines that get displaced from their original locations due to heavy rainfall and changing terrain conditions.
As part of anti-infiltration measures along the border, several forward areas are heavily mined. However, seasonal rains can wash away these explosives, creating hidden dangers for patrol teams operating in the region.
Jammu and Kashmir has a 740-kilometre-long Line of Control stretching across Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora districts in the Kashmir Valley, as well as Rajouri, Poonch and parts of Jammu district in the Jammu division.
Additionally, the Union Territory shares a 240-kilometre-long international border covering Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts.
The Army is responsible for guarding the Line of Control, while the Border Security Force secures the international border.
Security forces are tasked with preventing infiltration, smuggling, exfiltration and drone-based operations originating from across the border. According to officials, terror handlers based in Pakistan frequently use drones to transport weapons, ammunition, cash and narcotics into Jammu and Kashmir.
These consignments are allegedly collected by overground workers (OGWs) linked to terrorist networks before being passed on to active militants.
To counter the threat, the Army and the BSF have increasingly deployed advanced anti-drone systems, which officials say have significantly reduced cross-border drone activity.
Meanwhile, a suspected Pakistani drone was spotted over forward villages in the Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district on Tuesday, particularly in the area between Mahadev Gap and Kalal village.
Security forces immediately launched a cordon-and-search operation to prevent any possible airdropping of weapons or narcotics. However, no suspicious materials were recovered during the search.
Officials said such drone sightings have become part of a broader pattern of cross-border activity, prompting regular countermeasures by Indian troops in sensitive sectors such as Nowshera, Manjakote and Teryath along the Line of Control.